Super Typhoon Haiyan In Photos; How The US Helped Victims Of Typhoon Yolanda

Supplies of bottled water wait to be loaded into the San Diego-based hospital ship USNS Mercy as it prepares for possible deployment to typhoon-stricken areas of the Philippines from its port in San Diego, November 15, 2013. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Blake

The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) sits off the coast of the Philippines in this handout photo dated July 1, 2012. The U.S. Navy ship was activated Nov. 13, 2013, to be ready to support disaster relief efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. Photo: REUTERS/U.S. Navy Handout

A team of about 90 U.S. Marines and sailors headed to the Philippines as part of a first wave of U.S. military assistance for relief efforts after a devastating typhoon killed at least 10,000 people in the Philippines, U.S. officials said. Photo: REUTERS/Lance Cpl. David N. Hersey/U.S. Marine Corps

KC-130J Super Hercules carrying U.S. Marines from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade taxies toward a terminal with guidance from a Philippine Air Force servicemember at Villamor Air Base, in Pasay city, metro Manila November 10, 2013 in this handout provided by U.S. Marine Corps. A team of about 90 U.S. Marines and sailors headed to the Philippines on Sunday, part of a first wave of promised U.S. military assistance for relief efforts after a devastating typhoon killed at least 10,000 people, U.S. officials said. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel this weekend ordered the U.S. military's Pacific Command to assist with search and rescue operations and provide air support in the wake of super typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded. Picture taken November 10, 2013. Photo: REUTERS/Capt. Joshua Diddams/U.S. Marine Corps/Handout via Reuters

Philippine citizens gather around a Sea Hawk helicopter from Squadron (HSC) 12 as it delivers relief supplies in support of Operation Damayan in Guiuan, Philippines, November 17, 2013. Photo: Reuters

Residents unload an injured man from a truck schedule for airlift to Manila in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan on November 13, 2013 in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan, packing maximum sustained winds of 195 mph (315 kph), slammed into the southern Philippines and left a trail of destruction in multiple provinces, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate and making travel by air and land to hard-hit provinces difficult. Around 10,000 people are feared dead in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year. Photo: Getty Images

An aerial view of the devastation of super Typhoon Haiyan as it battered a town in Samar province in central Philippines on Nov. 11, 2013. Survivors of the typhoon that swept through the central Philippines, killing an estimated 10,000 people, begged for help and scavenged for food, water and medicine on Monday, and threatened to overwhelm military and rescue resources. Photo: Reuters

An aerial view of a coastal town, devastated by super Typhoon Haiyan, in Samar province in central Philippines November 11, 2013. Photo: Reuters

Residents gather coins and other salvageable materials from the ruins of houses after Super Typhoon Haiyan battered Tacloban city in central Philippines November 10, 2013. One of the most powerful storms ever recorded killed at least 10,000 people in the central Philippines province of Leyte, a senior police official said on Sunday, with coastal towns and the regional capital devastated. Photo: Reuters

Empty coffins lie on a street near houses damaged after super Typhoon Haiyan battered Tacloban city. The storm is believed to have killed at least 10,000 people in the central Philippines. Huge waves swept away entire coastal villages and devastated the region's main city. Photo: Reuters

An aerial view shows damaged houses, as residents wave for help after Typhoon Haiyan hit a village in Panay island, in northern Iloilo Province. Photo: Reuters

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Since Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines Nov. 8, the U.S. has provided more than $37 million in humanitarian aid, helping with relief efforts, the White House announced Tuesday.

The massive typhoon, one of the worst storms ever recorded, affected more than 4.28 million people in 270 towns and cities, according to the Philippines Social Welfare and Development Department. The death toll is expected to exceed 10,000 people. Hundreds of thousands more have been displaced.

Typhoon Haiyan, also called Typhoon Yolanda, hit the Philippines’ eastern seaboard Nov. 8. Winds reached 235 kmh (147mph), with gusts even higher, and waves were as high as 15 meters (45 feet), the BBC reported. The storm brought nearly 400mm (15.75 inches) of rain in some places.

The hardest-hit region of the Philippines was Leyte Island, whose provincial capital of Tacloban was left devastated by the powerful storm. “Yolanda cut through Tacloban like a scythe, sending walls of water across the downtown area in a furious rush, toppling power lines and felling houses, wrecking trucks and cars totally and, in many cases, ending lives,” Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

President Obama expressed his condolences to the victims of the typhoon. "Michelle and I are deeply saddened by the loss of life and extensive damage done by Super Typhoon Yolanda,” he said in a statement. “The United States is already providing significant humanitarian assistance, and we stand ready to further assist the government's relief and recovery efforts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the millions of people affected by this devastating storm."

Current involvement of U.S. aid provided by the White House:

U.S. humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan includes:

· Restored functionality of the Tacloban municipal water system, benefiting 200,000 people

There are currently 15 USAID disaster response specialists and approximately 9,500 U.S. military personnel responding to the crisis.

U.S. military aircraft have logged some 945 flight hours, delivered more than 750,000 pounds of relief supplies and equipment, moved more than 1,200 relief workers into Tacloban, and airlifted nearly 5,640 survivors from storm-affected areas.

A significant amount of U.S. assistance has also supported logistical operations, including helping get airports up and running, providing communications support, expanding transportation capacity, and establishing aid distribution centers.

“Our Philippine ally is responding to one of the largest disasters its country has ever faced, and we have been coordinating closely with them at every step,” the White House statement said. “Thus far, our cooperation has been excellent. Our military personnel are in close touch, as are our development and disaster-relief experts.”